Yume Youkai
by Miyavi-chan
Summary: Title means Dream Demon, read to learn more Rating may change for Inu's colorful language. Inu-Yasha Harry Potter crossover. Chapters 1, 2, 3 revised as of 10.22.03
1. The Letter

"Mama!" Pounding footsteps could be heard from the main entrance to the Higurashi shrine. A girl of about fifteen ran into the kitchen and greeted her waiting mother with a hug. Her cheeks were flushed, her raven- black hair was tousled and wind-blown and she was breathing heavily. "Tadaima!" [ I'm home]  
  
"Oh my.did you run all the way home from school?" Her mother questioned, offering Kagome the tray of milk and cookies she routinely prepared on a Monday afternoon. Her daughter gratefully took one before opening her mouth again to speak.  
  
"Did any mail come for me?"  
  
Her mother thought for a second and then shook her head. "No, I don't think so. Why?"  
  
Kagome's shoulders slumped in disappointment. ~ Maybe I didn't get in.. ~ she thought dejectedly. Sighing, she took the plate of cookies up to her room where she could sulk and be otherwise generally depressed in private. The young miko sat down at her desk and rested her hands on her crossed arms. She was starting to feel a headache coming on.. Perfect.  
  
"Oi." The voice came out of nowhere, making her jump. The familiarity didn't register immediately and only one thought flashed in her head.  
  
Burglar.  
  
She felt her pulse quicken as her fingers curled around the base of her desk lamp. In one swift movement she had yanked the plug out of the wall and hurled the appliance at the intruder.  
  
"ARGH!" It was only then she recognized the owner of the voice as her hanyou companion and she shrieked, rushing forward to the window where he had stood a few seconds earlier. It was a little late now though, seeing as how he was lying on the ground a good fifteen feet below, swirly eyed and still wearing the impression the lamp had made while coming in contact. with his face. Kagome flinched, not looking forward to the arguments and shouts that were waiting for her after he managed to regain consciousness.  
  
"Oh Inuyasha! Gomen! I didn't know it was you, I-"  
  
Her apology was cut short as the said hanyou leaped back up onto the windowsill. He cast her a dark look, but the intimidating effect was somehow ruined by the lampshade balancing precariously on one of his canine ears.  
  
"Didn't know it was me? Who else would it be?! And you've been here long enough! C'mon. We're going back to the Feu-"  
  
Kagome ignored him and went back to her desk to mope, definitely not in the mood to fight. Inuyasha blinked and cocked his head to the side curiously as he stared at her, a look of concern flickering briefly behind his golden eyes.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing." Kagome muttered bitterly. "I just didn't get i-" she was interrupted by a loud hooting sound and a snowy white owl flew into the room. Inuyasha was surprised, as anyone else would be if they had a freakishly large bird appear out of the blue right next to them and fly into the room at abnormal speeds, and started to lose his balance. "Kagome!" he shouted. "A little help?!" He lost his footing and slipped backwards out of the window for the second time that day, grabbing onto the windowsill to keep from plummeting to his doom.  
  
[ Inuyasha: Feh, like a little fall like that could kill me. Koneko: Oi, I'M writing this ficcy so hush!]  
  
Kagome ignored his pleas and hesitantly reached out as the owl landed gracefully on her arm. It's talons hurt for a second but she didn't mind, reaching out to stroke it gently. it was surprisingly tame for a bird of prey it's size. She buried her fingers in the soft white plumage and a grin played across her lips. Cooing, she pulled the bird into her arms. "KAWAII!" The poor creature let out a strangled screech and began flapping its wings, trying to wrench free from her irons grip. When Kagome finally released it, the owl dropped a letter at her feet and flew away, hooting angrily. Kagome picked up the slightly yellowed envelope and her eyes rested on the words scrawled across it in emerald ink.  
  
"Higurashi Kagome  
Second Floor Bedroom  
Higurashi- Ji [ shrine ]  
Tokyo, Japan"  
  
She read aloud. Curiously she turned the envelope over in her hands and picked at the forest green wax seal. Who used wax seals this side of the 20th century anyway? It was then that she noticed the school crest stamped above the seal in the same green ink. "THIS IS IT!" she squealed. "OH MY GOSH! IT'S HERE!"  
  
Inuyasha pulled himself back through her window, his face set in a deeply annoyed glare. "Forgetting someone?" he asked accusingly.  
  
She blinked. "Huh?"  
  
Never mind." He took a seat on her bed, folding his legs under him and crossing his arms over his chest in a rather juvenile pout. Kagome shrugged it off and uttered another cry of excitement. She threw her arms around his neck, earning an awkward blink from him.  
  
"I made it!"  
  
He didn't seem to hear, wondering why she hadn't let go yet.  
  
"This is it! Inuyasha, I got accepted!" Kagome was absolutely beaming when Inuyasha finally came to his senses and looked at her in confusion.  
  
"Whoa, hold on a second. What the hell are you talking about?"  
  
"I got accepted into Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry! Maybe now I won't be so completely useless when it comes to fighting. like you so considerably pointed out to me." She paused, glaring at him pointedly and he forced a guilty smile.  
  
"So, where is this school?" he asked, quickly changing the subject. She thought for a moment.  
  
"Ano. England."  
  
"Where's Engurand?" He pronounced the name slowly yet somehow still managed to completely screw it up. Kagome reached behind him and grabbed her Geography book, flipping it open to a map of the world and pointing out Japan.  
  
"We're here." Then she traced her other finger over the glossy pages before letting it rest on a large island off the coast of Europe. "And this is England." She murmured, double checking her accuracy. Inuyasha reached forth and laid his hand between hers, bridging the gap between the two countries, and Kagome felt a flood of color rise to her cheeks.  
  
"So... England is only a hand away?" he asked. Kagome sweatdropped.  
  
"Uh. sure. You could say that."  
  
He made a face. "How long will you be gone this time?"  
  
Kagome gulped. ~now for the hard part~ "A year?" she mumbled under her breath, half hoping he wouldn't hear. Unfortunately her wish was far from carried out. His ear twitched and he turned to face her, his eyes meeting hers. And he did Not look like a happy camper.  
  
"Eheheh. is that alright?"  
  
"HELL NO! Are you INSANE?! We only have a few more shards to go but do you have any idea the kind of CHAOS - if we left for an entire YEAR.?"  
  
"Inuyasha, please! You have no ide- did you say 'we'?"  
  
"You actually thought I would let you go alone?" He crossed his arms stubbornly. "I'm coming too."  
  
Kagome blushed. "But. what about the chaos?"  
  
"Huh? Oh, Miroku and Sango will be able to handle it."  
  
"We will?" A voice spoke up. Sango and Miroku stood in the doorway, the latter smirking triumphantly to finally hear Inuyasha admit that he was capable of handling something on his own. Sango was looking straight at Inuyasha.  
  
"If he goes, we go." She declared. Kagome sighed dramatically.  
  
"Fine... I'll have to ask the headmaster but if it's alright with them then you can go."  
  
"YYYESS!!" Miroku cheered, making a fist in the air. The others looked at him strangely. (Read: o.O;; ) Shippou, who had been hiding in Miroku's bedsheets [ A/N: I SWEAR those things are not normal robes xx; ] bounded up to Kagome and gave her the most adorable, irresistable puppy eyes he could manage.  
  
"Can I go too?"  
  
"You're too young Shippou-chan... although." Kagome picked up her letter and skimmed through it once more, carefully reading every word. "It does say I can bring a pet..."  
  
"OKAY! Inuyasha can be your pet and I'll go in his place!."  
  
"Ano...^^;"  
  
"Why you little..." Said hanyou stepped forward, rolling up his sleeves and cracking his knuckles menacingly, but gave him a painful, but meaningful, elbow in the ribs.  
  
"It's kinder just to let him believe it." She murmured with a wink. He made a face but nodded nonetheless. "Okay, now all of you OUT! I have to pack - and no Miroku you don't get to watch. I'll come get you guys later today, we've got a train to catch." She shoved her other-worldly visitors out the door and dragged a freakishly large suitcase out from under her bed. She crossed the room to her closet and the and the next hour was spent going through the painstakingly careful are of deciding which clothes to bring and then haphazardly flinging them across the room and watching them arc down landing messily in her suitcase, all the while chanting in anticipation.  
  
"I'm going to Hogwarts!"  
  
And so ends chapter one ^_^; It's cool if you like it, it's alright if you dont but I would highly appreciate it if you reviewed. And just as a side note, I'm sorry it took so fragging long but I will admit - I'm lazy. xx; And I really didnt like the way this story was written so I'm revising it - especially Kagome's little dream sequence. blech. _o To those of you patient and faithful enough to keep reading this and to those of you who havent attacked me with rotten vegetables, an extra thank you. ^_^;; Oh and one of my reviewers asked how old I was, I'm a freshman.. and I want it to be summer already so I can get my permit. ; 


	2. Diagon Alley

"The next hour was spent going through the painstakingly careful are of deciding which clothes to bring and then haphazardly flinging them across the room and watching them arc down landing messily in her suitcase, all the while chanting in anticipation.  
  
"I'm going to Hogwarts!"  
  
Scroll Two: Diagon Alley  
  
"Ano...where do we go now?" Kagome asked, her voice rather muffled. which made sense since her head was currently lost and buried in a map of London.  
  
"Last time we let you navigate" Inuyasha muttered. There was a moment of heated silence in which Kagome and Inuyasha exchanged dark looks. Finally Mioke, sensing the rising tension, spoke up.  
  
"Perhaps we should ask for directions." there was a pause as his attention was grabbed by an attractive blonde with a full figure and navy blue robes. ".Yes, she looks like she knows where she's going. I'll just go ask if she will be- I mean if she will give us directions." His lips formed a satisfied grin and he casually strolled towards the girl, who was gazing intently at a group of caged cats. A throbbing vein appeared at Sango's temple as she lifted her freakishly large boomerang over her shoulder and followed him. No wonder she had blatantly refused to leave it at the Higurashi shrine.  
  
"He never quits." Kagome muttered, sighing dramatically as she tapped a boy about their age on the shoulder. He turned to her and smiled, his hair falling into his face as if his locks were impossible to tame. Kagome couldn't help but notice a small scar peeking out from behind his bangs and stunningly green eyes framed by broken glasses.  
  
"Excuse me," She began. "Could you tell us where we are?"  
  
"Sure. This is Diagon Alley. a wizard market. But surely you've heard of it?"  
  
"HARRY!" A tall boy with flaming red hair appeared and prodded his friend in the arm. "They could be Muggles." He stressed the word comically and Kagome blinked in confusion.  
  
"You're not supposed to blab to just anyone about magic you know." The lanky youth continued.  
  
"Oh, don't be absurd Ron! You know Muggles can't even see Diagon Alley. A girl with bushy brown hair reminded him. Ron made a face and stuck his tongue out at her, earning him a 'look'. "Grow up, Ron." She muttered and then turned to Kagome with a smile.  
  
"I'm Hermione Granger."  
  
"Higurashi Kagome" she replied. Sango walked up behind them, wearing an irritated expression. Behind her she dragged an unconscious and badly bruised Miroku, and Shippou was perched on her shoulder.  
  
"Er.Is he going to be alright?" Harry asked. The taijiya nodded and glared down darkly at the monk. Feeling the need to jump ahead and introduce them before another fit of violence on Sango's part broke out, Kagome spoke up.  
  
This is Sango-chan, the cute one is Shippou, and he's Miroku." Shippou piped up.  
  
"And that stubborn jerk is Inuyasha." The hanyou reached forward and grabbed a fleeing Shippou by the tail, looking annoyed. Kagome glowered at him and took the kitsune into her arms while he fumed.  
  
"Wait.THE Inuyasha?!" Hermione shrieked, a scroll and quill pen magically appearing in her hands. Seconds later she had thrust the objects in his face. "Can I have your autograph?" Inuyasha scowled slightly, strongly reminded of Kagome when she met Noba. Nobu. the one with a problem with cliffs and gravity.  
  
"An Auto-what?" He asked, bewildered.  
  
"Erm. Hermione? Who is this?" Ron questioned.  
  
"That's Inuyasha!" Ron and harry stared blankly at their friend. "Honestly, you two need to read more."  
  
"Why? We have you to explain to us what the bloody hell you're talking about. " Ron replied.  
  
Sango and the others looked confused. "I'd like to know too."  
  
"I'd like to know how come he's famous and I'm not. I'm obviously the better looking, charming one!" Miroku whined. Hermione glanced at him reprimandedly and then turned back to the others.  
  
"Inuyasha is the legendary half-demon, that also means he's half human Ron, who was sealed to a time tree during the Warring States era of ancient Japan. 50 years later a time travelling high school student from Modern Tokyo released him and they joined together with a lecherous monk, demon slayer, and fox demon cub to collect the fragments of a sacred jewel that was said to have mystic powers. While most people believe this is a simple fairy tale there are a few who have researched it and thought it to be true." She stated knowingly. Ron cast her a dark look and she smirked, while everyone else just stared at her in disbelief, completely flabbergasted. [ A/N: I love that word XD ]  
  
"How do you know so much about us, witch?!" Inuyasha narrowed his eyes, obviously intending it to be insulting but she didn't seem to notice. It was the truth after all. Harry quickly changed the subject.  
  
"So, have you all gotten your books yet?"  
  
Kagome shook her head and pulled out their supply lists with Sango reading over her shoulder.  
  
"Kagome-chan. where are we going to get all this?" Kagome shrugged in reply and Ron grinned at them.  
  
"Diagon Alley'  
  
"Just come with us, we'll show you." Hermione offered. Kagome smiled gratefully and had to stop herself from bowing before they followed the three into a busy bookstore called Flourish and Blotts. When inside the group was stopped by a blonde boy with a sneering face and heavily oiled hair.  
  
"Well if it isn't famous Harry Potter." He spat out the last word like venom and looked at Harry with an expression nothing short of loathing. "I see your taste in acquaintances hasn't changed any. You've even sunk low enough to associate with cat-eared freaks." A warning growl emitted from deep within Inuyasha's throat and he cracked his knuckles.  
  
"Bug off, Malfoy." Ron snapped, holding his wand at ready. Hermione stopped him.  
  
"No, Ron. Remember what happened last time?" Ron shuddered at the memory of the slugs that had spewed from his mouth last time he attempted to Attack Draco and dropped his arm to his side. He didn't dare risk it, even though his wand was fully functional this time around. Malfoy smirked and turned towards Kagome.  
  
"Someone as cute as you shouldn't be around these losers either. I can show you the right people to be friend with." [A/N: Anyone else feel the sudden nagging impulse to gag?]  
  
"Give it a rest Malfoy." Hermione retorted, narrowing her eyes.  
  
"Was I talking to you, Mudblood?" He spat. Her eyes widened and Ron lunged at him, grabbing for his throat.  
  
"How dare you-"  
  
"Ron, come on. He's not worth it." Harry said, suddenly grabbing Ron by the shoulder. Malfoy glared at them, a look of mixed repulse and spite, and walked away.  
  
"Who was that pleasant little ray of sunshine?" Miroku asked. He had finally regained consciousness and the swollen bumps had disappeared from his head.  
  
"Draco Malfoy, he goes to our school." Hermione replied, eyes narrowed. "He's a-"  
  
"Maggot." Ron finished for her.  
  
"I noticed. He goes to our school?" Sango scowled. "Joy.. -_-;"  
  
"Yeah." Shippou nodded his agreement while Inuyasha glowered in the background, anticipating their first day at Hogwarts where he could beat Malfoy into a bloody pulp.  
  
Ten minutes later the group walked out of Flourish and Blotts with an armload of books each. Kagome glanced once more at her list.  
  
"Ano ne.. where would I get a wand?" She asked. Harry grinned.  
  
"Ollivanders!" he answered, guiding her to an old, shabby looking store down the street. The others followed him inside.  
  
Ollivanders was the kind you place that made you feel you had just walked into a library. The second one entered through the antique wooden doors everything fell dead silent, almost intimidatingly so. The kind of place that made you want to hold your breath for fear that the slightest noise would send everything inside crashing down around you. At first glance Kagome would have said that the shop was vacant, but then she heard a soft, elderly voice.  
  
"Back again, Mr. Potter? Ah. Ms. Higurashi, I've been expecting you." A short wrinkled man with a head of shock white hair. Thinning in places, stepped out from behind one of the many bookshelves that lined the shop, with rows of dark oblong boxes stacked inside.  
  
"Hullo Mr. Ollivander." Harry greeted him. Mr. Ollivander nodded cordially and disappeared among the shelves again, returning seconds later with a black and silver wand case. He opened it for Kagome.  
  
"Willow and Unicorn hair. 9 ½ inches, springy. Go on, try it." He encouraged. She took the wand and swished it around gently. There was a cracking noise and a pause before a shower of pale sparks, a shimmery silver in hue, exploded from the end. After a few seconds of floating loosely the sparks joined together in the shape of a jewel. An arrow materialized and seemed to fly with aim straight for the heart of the jewel. There was a bright flash of light before the crystal shattered, raining a kind of stardust on the group as it faded. All eyes were on Kagome, waiting for some form of an explanation though she had none to give. She was as bewildered as everyone else. Mr. Ollivander looked at her especially curiously and shook his head.  
  
"Well." He sighed. "That was easy." He disappeared again to the hidden depths of his stores to search out a wand for Inuyasha.  
  
Inuyasha opened his mouth to say something, most likely to point out that the elderly shopkeeper was a crackpot old loon, but he chose that moment to return.  
  
"Ebony and dragon hea-" Too impatient to let him finish, Inuyasha snatched the wand out of his hand, waving it around and throwing in a few extravagant hand motions - just to be safe.  
  
"Baka." Shippou muttered. The word had barely left his lips when he and Miroku were suddenly lifted off off their feet and thrown into the back wall. The wand boxes all flew off the shelves and scattered in every direction. Something popped at the end of his wand and there was a split second of silence.  
  
Kagome ducked an attacking wand case and looked up. "What was that noi-" Her voice was drowned out by an explosion and everyone took cover. Everyone that is, except Mr. Ollivander. The charred and blackened shopkeeper coughed out some smoke and attempted to pry the wand from Inuyasha's grasp.  
  
"Apparently that's not the right one."  
  
"HELL NO! I could use this!" Inuyasha protested, raising it out of Ollivanders reach and preparing to wave it wildly over his head once more.  
  
"INUYASHA! OSUWARI!" Kagome screamed as several boxes ignited into flames. After some quick, colorful language and a painful crash to the grounf on Inuyasha's part, Kagome and Harry dragged the hanyou outside while the others picked out their wands.  
  
"Where are you staying?" Harry asked. "We're at the Three Broomsticks until we have to catch the train tomorrow.  
  
"Er. I think I forgot to make arrangements." Kagome admitted.  
  
"That's alright. You can room with us. Everytime I go they give us the best rooms."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"..er..no reason."  
  
"Oh - well thanks." Kagome and Harry made plans to meet at the inn that evening for supper, then the two groups parted to finish their shopping. 


	3. The Three Broomsticks

Kagome and Harry made plans to meet at the inn that evening for supper, then the two groups parted to finish their shopping  
  
Scroll Three: The Three Broomsticks  
  
When the Inuyasha tachi walked into the little pub later that night, laden down with bags of robes, books, quills, and an array of other supplies they would need, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were already there. The three glimpsed his silver hair before anything else and waved. Gratefully they sat down, looking forward to a nice hot dinner together then crawling into bed.. not together.. And sleeping like a petrified log. Ron signaled for a waiter and a short stout little man who looked like an overly plump cherry waddled up to the table and passed out menus.  
  
"Wha' can I ge' fah yah?" he asked in a strong Cockney accent. Harry was the first to speak.  
  
"Eight pumpkin juices and roast chicken dinners with eight hot fudge sundaes for dessert." The waiters piggy little eyes seemed to grow to the size of dinner plates and bulge out of his head and he took an instinctive step backwards, or tried to but his feet managed to get tangled together.. How? Don't ask how, the authoress doesn't know, she only writes this fic. After he managed to regain his composure he bowed deeply.  
  
"Y-yes sir Mr. P-Potter sir. T'was an honor to have served you." He stammered before stumbling back to the kitchen to place their order. The newcomers turned to Harry, wondering what had just happened, but his explanation was interrupted by a herd of intoxicated -  
  
[ Inuyasha: More like stoned.  
  
Koneko: Shush! _* ]  
  
Wizards walked in, filling the air with their loud, drunken peals of laughter and the stench of stale whiskey. One of them noticed Harry and jabbed another in the ribs. A deadly silence fell over the room..which unfortunately didn't last long.  
  
"Blimey! That's 'Arry Potter!" One of them shouted. A tall, lanky wizard in bottle-green robes took out a scroll and quill pen and begged Harry for his autograph. Harry's ears burned and he looked fairly annoyed as he quickly scrawled his name across the parchment while , keeping his eyes averted to the floor. With a cheer of triumph the wizards thanked him and filed into a private room for another round of ale. Harry smiled weakly at the gawking foreigners.  
  
"What was that all about?" Inuyasha questioned.  
  
"Erm..nothing." Harry murmured and started to drink his pumpkin juice and avoided eye contact with them. Just once he would like to get through a day without people making such a big deal over him. Just once he would like to be treated normally, just like everyone else.  
  
"Do you get the same reaction from girls?" Miroku asked casually, sipping his drink. There was a low growling sound and a second later Sango brought her ridiculously large Hiraikotsu crashing down violently on his head. Harry, Ron, and Hermione froze with their forks poised about halfway to their lips. Hermione looked at Kagome in concern and she replied with a shrug, nodding slightly.  
  
"Yes, Miroku's always perverted that way. Yes, she does this a lot. You'll get used to it." Hermione nodded slowly, looking like that was the most shockingly barbaric things she had seen in all her years of existence, while Inuyasha continued to eat, completely unfazed and Sango proceeded to chase Miroku around the inn while swinging her weapon angrily.  
  
"Ecchi!" She shouted. After a few more minutes she lost interest and sat back down at the table. Inuyasha, who had almost finished devouring his chicken, looked at Kagome eagerly.  
  
"You think they have that yellow stuff here?" he asked through a mouthful of mangled poultry. Kagome grimaced at this display of table manners and shook her head. Inuyasha shrugged and turned back to face Harry and Ron.  
  
"What was that all about anyway? With those drunks.."  
  
"Oh that? Nothing really, it happens everyday. Y'see, Harry here's famous!" Ron proceeded in telling them the story of Harry's life and all his encounters with the dreaded Voldemort, throwing in so many exaggerations and variations of his own that he made it sound like a highly stretched urban legend.  
  
"It. really wasn't that great." Harry muttered.  
  
Kagome squealed in reply and whipped an autograph book out of her pocket.  
  
[Kiba: her pocket? How convenient. ::gets whapped:: ]  
  
"Yes it is! Can I have your autograph?!"  
  
Harry sighed heavily and signed his name underneath a tiny fox-like pawprint and the kanji characters Nobunaga. "Wow! This is so great! I can't believe I got to meet a hugely famous warlock!" she babbled. [A/N: And the urge to retch continues to haunt me. ]  
  
Inuyasha groaned, getting a strong sense of déjà vu and started to tear his roll in half. Leaning forward across the table, he literally stuffed the bread into her mouth in hopes that it would get her to shut up. It worked too, she stopped gushing and blinked stupidly at the piece of bread while everyone else burst out laughing.  
  
"Well Well. Look what the cat dragged in." Someone spoke up sarcastically. Draco Malfoy walked up to their previously peaceful and contented table, followed by his two simple-minded and brawny henchmen, Crabbe and Goyle. Malfoy fell silent, looking impatient as if he were waiting for something to happen. His eyes turned to Crabbe expectantly. Finally he got onto his tiptoes and whispered into the giant oaf's ear. Crabbe looked shocked.  
  
"You mean.. we were supposed to laugh?"  
  
"Never mind, you idiot." Malfoy snapped. Inuyasha snickered and Malfoy reeled at him.  
  
"Oh, you think I'm funny do you? Want to know what's really funny, freak? Your cat ears. And-" He never got a chance to finish his sentence. Inuyasha lunged forward, curling his fingers around Malfoy's throat and lifted him off the ground. He growled and tightened his grip, watching as his claws started to pierce the skin and crimson drops of blood rolled down his neck. Malfoy whimpered pathetically, trying to wiggle free from his grip.  
  
"OSUWARI!" Inuyasha's eyes widened in panic and he and Malfoy were both thrown full-force into the polished wood floor. Malfoy scrambled to his feet and attempted to straighten his tousled hair with an air of dignity.  
  
"Shame you have to get your wench to rescue you." Malfoy's lip curled in disgust as he spoke. "Or you would have regretted the day you crossed -my- path."  
  
Kagome twitched - a first sign of danger.  
  
"She is NOT my-" Inuyasha started to advance on Malfoy, who ducked behinid Crabbe for protection, but before he could do anything Kagome let out a whooping war cry and jumped in front of him. He stepped back and stared at her incredulously. Kagome growled and lunged at Malfoy, starting off by clawing at the side of his face.  
  
Five minutes later she got off of him. Malfoy was sprawled on the floor with spots of blood appearing on his cheek, his arms twisted behind his back, a nasty-colored bruise discoloring his face, and bite marks o n his hands and shoulders. She huffed her way past a gaggle of gawking waiters, too afraid to stop her, and back to an astonished Miroku and Sango. She flipped her hair haughtily over her shoulder.  
  
"Besides, we couldn't ever be together even if I wanted us to. The poor guy has a thing for dead priestesses." She sneered. Malfoy stared at her, his mouth hanging open in shock. Shippou jumped onto Kagome's shoulder and stuck his tongue out tauntingly.  
  
"Close your mouth Malfoy." Ron smirked, "You look like a fish."  
  
Malfoy pursed his lips and made a show of leaving, turning around with an extravagant billowing of his robes and slamming the door behind him. The dramatic exit was ruined by the fact that he had forgotten his two dimwitted cronies and slammed the door in their face. leaving the beginnings of a bruise across Goyle's bulb of a nose. The door opened once again and Malfoy stuck his head back in, casting he two the darkest of glares.  
  
"Come on!" The two nodded and half waddled, half thundered after him strongly resembling a pair of mindless gorillas.  
  
Everyone in the room burst out laughing at Malfoy's defeat and congratulated the reincarnated miko on her good deed towards humanity. Kagome smiled sheepishly.  
  
"It was nothing."  
  
"Sure it was, Kagome-sama." Miroku assured her. "He needed to be taught a lesson in how to talk to a woman." Kagome both smiled and sweatdropped, unsure of what to make of his comment. Sango, too, narrowed her eyes and tried to decide how to take it and then hugged her friend.  
  
"That was perfect! He practically crawled out the door with his tail between his legs!" She exclaimed.  
  
"Kind of like a certain stupid wolf.." Inuyasha grumbled. Sango yawned and brushed back her hair.  
  
"Anyway.. I'm a little tired. I think I'm going to go to bed. ALONE, Houshi-sama." She added irritatedly when she noticed the eager, hopeful expression on Miroku's face. He sweatdropped.  
  
"I was merely going to suggest that I tuck you in, Sango." Sango looked at him doubtfully and climbed the stairs to their rooms, grateful that she didn't have to worry about bringing her stuff up. Kagome had made them go shopping back in Japan for "normal" clothes, and Harry had made sure their bags were taken care of. Harry glanced at his watch and sighed.  
  
"I'd better go too. In fact, we all should. We have to get an early start tomorrow morning."  
  
"Good idea Harry. I'm utterly exhausted from shopping and I would just hate to fall asleep in class on my first day." Hermione added.  
  
"So lets go.. Oh, and Miroku?" Kagome asked, completely ignoring the grotesque faces Ron was making behind Hermione's back. Miroku looked up.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"You, Inuyasha, and Shippou share a room. Sango and I are bunking together - without you." She smiled sweetly. Miroku looked hurt.  
  
"I'm stunned that.. I.. How could you think I would even suggest that?"  
  
"Whatever. Oyasumi Nasai."  
  
"G'night!" Ron called. The seven of them filed up the stairs and simultaneously walked into the bedroom, without detail due to the authoress' extreme laziness. All that is with two exceptions. There was an awkward silence as Inuyasha pulled Kagome back to the dark, shadowed edge of the hallway, away from the others. He knew if they were noticed all hell would break loose.  
  
"Kagome?"  
  
"Eh?"  
  
".. What did you mean by 'we couldn't ever be together anyway, even if I wanted us to'?.."  
  
"Oh.. Don't worry about it Inuyasha. It was just a - a joke."  
  
Inuyasha fell silent, looking into her eyes for a moment. Kagome could have sworn she caught a glimpse of something.. A hint of an unfamiliar expression behind his amber irises, but it soon faded and she shook herself back to reality. It remained a dim memory in her head, chased into the unexplored depths of her mind by the assurances that she was seeing things.  
  
"Kagome-" he began.  
  
"I'm going to bed. Get some sleep Inuyasha." He held her gaze for a few seconds longer and let go of her arm. She silently turned back to her room, sighing as she turned the doorknob.  
  
"Ne, Inuyasha?" A glimpse over her shoulder told her that she had hesitated too long, he had left. She shook her head sadly and entered the bedroom. As she changed into her pajamas her mind wandered, dreaming about what it would be like to have her feelings for Inuyasha returned.  
  
"Yume dake..." she reminded herself as she crawled between the sheets and her cheek rested against the cool pillow. "Only a dream."  
  
In the hidden corner of the room, amidst the shadows that flickered in a silent dance across the wall, someone laughed sinisterly. 


	4. Nightmare

Scroll Four: Nightmare  
  
Kagome took a deep breath, letting the refreshingly clean air fill her lungs. The weather in Sengoku Jidai was, as always, perfect. The grass and plants were a lush, vivid green and held their leaves, still moist with dew, proudly over the families of chirping insects and creatures that called them home. As she climbed out of the sacred well, its boards rotting with age though by some mystery it was still as sturdy as ever, and sat down on its edge resting her chin in her hands and watched as a tiny butterfly with wings a shade of gold that could rival even the glow of the sun or the hue of a dog demons eyes and for a moment found herself wondering where her own hanyou companion was.  
  
The question faded from her mind almost as fast at it had come and she paid no attention to it. She shifted her backpack into a more comfortable position on her shoulders. It was fuller than usual, loaded down with an array of gifts and foods for her feudal-age friends, but surprisingly felt as if it hadn't gained an ounce of weight. Her only concern as she made her way towards the priestess Kaede's village was that they wouldn't like the lunch she had spent all morning to carefully and painstakingly make for them - and she had the burns to prove it after the stove had attacked her that way.  
  
As she walked there was a shift in the weather, the brightly-shining sun dimmed and fell behind a cloud causing a thick sticky silver fog to arise from the dampening ground, making it seem like she was walking through a realm of flickering and ever-changing shadows. She heard a rustling from the bushes behind her and whirled around, reaching instinctively behind her for her bow as a series of thoughts invaded her mind. Demon? Bandit? Or possibly.. Naraku? The sudden darkness had stirred a sense of panic in her chest and she felt her heartbeat quicken.  
  
The figure soon came into view, no longer blurred by the mist and she immediately recognized his silver hair and scarlet fuku, waving her hand eagerly in the air to catch the attention of the hanyou and shouted a greeting. "Inuyasha!" She dropped the backpack from her shoulders and ran to his side, a smile playing across her lips. He didn't acknowledge her presence at first, his eyes remaining averted to the ground and this made her worry. She tried again, "Inuyasha.?"  
  
This time he looked up, though something about him didn't seem at all right. He didn't seem to recognize her, though the first thing he noticed was her human smell, a smell that stirred repulsion and disgust in his stomach. His eyes looked cold and void of any emotion save a deep-rooted bloodlust and loathing towards her. Kagome's eyes widened and she reached forward, touching his arm and then hugging him. She needed some kind of reassurance that he was real, that nothing had changed him and that the Inuyasha in front of her was still the same Inuyasha that she had fallen in love with over the time she had come to know him, despite him being the most stubborn obstinate pig that roamed the earth. Her vision blurred as she buried her face in his chest and murmured.  
  
"Inuyasha? Whats wrong? It's me." She felt his muscles tense and she threw herself further against him, her eyes squeezed tightly shut. Inuyasha in turn grabbed her by the arms, his claws digging painfully into her flesh and threw her to the unwelcoming ground. She landed on her knees, a wave of raven hair falling into her eyes as she choked back tears. He stepped closer, flexing his claws as his eyes shot daggers at her.  
  
"Don't you dare, even for a moment think that I would tolerate a disgusting worthless human like you. Your touch.. even your smell makes me want to retch. You and I are strangers. you try to be the one that I love but you are not Kikyou! You're dead to me." He spat.  
  
Kagome was speechless for a minute but choked out a scream as his claws tore into her chest, unable to do anything but watch helplessly through eyes clouded over with tears.  
  
"No.no.no.NO!" Her mind screamed, managing to form a word through dry sobs. "Inuyashaaaa!"  
  
He paid her no attention. No sign of a conscience or any remorse, just someone she had trusted so deeply walking away with her life and never looking back. "INUYASHAAAAAA!"  
  
Kagome's scream pierced through the dead silence of the night with increasing volume, tearing one silver-haired hanyou from his restless sleep. Inuyasha awoke, startled, and an immediate sickening feeling of worry settled in the pit of his stomach like the plague. He jumped out of his bed and sprinted down the hall to the room she was sharing with Sango. Within seconds the locked door [ Why would the door be locked? Don't ask me, I'm only writing this fic.] was torn from its hinges and Inuyasha was standing over her bed, his heart pounding. His eyes came to rest on her sleeping form, safe in her bed and he heaved a sigh of relief. For one of the first times in his life he had been genuinely scared. Why was it that this human was the only one that could frighten him with just a scream? He ran his claws through her curtain of raven hair and gently shook her awake.  
  
"Kagome? Are you alright?" he asked quietly, trying not to wake the sleeping youkai exterminator. She stirred and opened her eyes slowly, blinking as she adjusted to the light.  
  
"Inuyasha?" She didn't move for a moment, then wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him closer to her, burying her face in his chest. She dug her fingers into his robes, her eyes burning with tears, touching him until she was satisfied that he was real and Inuyasha looked down at her with a startled expression. "Inuyasha it's you right? It's really you?" She cried into his shirt. He pulled her into his arms, resting one clawed hand behind her head gently and whispering words of reassurance.  
  
"It's me.. are you alright? What happened?" he persisted.  
  
"I.I just had a nightmare."  
  
"What about?"  
  
"It's not important." The words came almost too quickly and Kagome flushed with embarassment under his suspicious gaze.  
  
"Kagome, you were screaming my name. I think that deserves an explanation." He paused and glanced at Sango's bed before looking back at her. "We're just lucky no one else woke up."  
  
Kagome looked away, curling the blanket tightly in her fingers as her cheeks burned a deeper red. Quietly she whispered to Inuyasha what she had imagined, leaving out a few inicriminating lines and struggling to keep her voice steady. Some secrets she still wasn't ready to reveal to him. He listened silently, his expression softening as he heard about her visions.  
  
"Kagome. you know I would never hurt you right?" He asked softly. Kagome;s voice caught in her throat and she nodded against his chest. Inuyasha held her close and murmured a few more soothing words.  
  
"It's okay now, you're safe."  
  
Kagome couldn't hold back anymore and choked out his name, crying into his arms. She had been so sure it was real. She had felt the embrace, the pain, and the betrayal so vividly that it couldn't have been a dream.  
  
"Go back to sleep Kagome. You need your rest.. and we have to get an early start tomorrow." She nodded and laid back down, wrapping the blanket tightly up to her throat as if it gave her an extra sense of security. Inuyasha turned to leave, but she stopped him.  
  
"Could you.. stay here? Only until I fall asleep." He 'feh'ed, traces of the normal Inuyasha showing through.  
  
"Kagome, nothings going to hurt you. You're old enough to fall asleep on your own. You're not a whelp."  
  
"Inuyasha, please?" For a moment their eyes met and he noticed how frightened she really looked and nodded slowly in defeat.  
  
"Fine." he said, sitting down in a soft plush chair in the corner of the room to watch over her.  
  
"Oyasumi, Inuyasha." She sighed. The room fell silent and soon the only sounds he could hear were hers and Sango's slow, rhythmic breathing as she slipped into a deep slumber. Soon enough, he had been lulled to sleep as well.  
  
On the other side of the room came the quiet sound of triumph of someone waiting for their chance to act. Something slithered across Sango's bed and a shadow was cast over her sleep, but it moved on and nestled itself into her bags. It's chances with the young miko had been ruined but it had been unable to penetrate further into her mind anyway - her soul was too strong. However with one lost chance came a new victim. a hanyou. An intriguing prospect. And with that thought a soft menacing laugh broke the silence and fell to rest, waiting for its next chance to strike as it nestled into its hiding place in the taijiya's bags. 


End file.
